Am I Ready For Sleep Consulting?
Sleep consulting is a big investment for your family, and oftentimes people wonder, “is this the right time” or “are we ready for sleep consulting?”
My answer is almost always yes to the first question of “is this the right time” because what people are usually asking underneath that question is “are things really bad enough that we need to hire a professional?” This is a totally fair question! I have asked this in my own life many times over in a large variety of situations. The reason my answer is almost always yes to this, however, is not because I just want you to hire me, though I never complain about that! The reason truly is because I want your family to thrive, and if you’re to the point where sleep is hard enough that you’re considering hiring professional help, your family is not thriving. My why for sleep consulting is that it truly is one of my greatest joys in life to come alongside a family and join their team to help them thrive right in the middle of whatever season they are in in life. But why wait until you are in a season of total desperation to address your child’s sleep challenges when that can be avoided if we get on the front end of it and set your family up for success? If you are in that season of total desperation, then let's jump into working together for sure. But if you are on the verge of that season wondering if you can hold on a little longer before reaching out for help, then let’s chat too because we might be able to save you a lot of exhaustion. So yes, if you’re wondering “is this the right time?” or “do we really need this?” then call me because the answer is most likely a resounding yes!
What about if you’re asking “are we ready or prepared for sleep consulting?” That is a slightly different question, and I have a few things I like to go over with families before we jump into a consulting relationship to make sure everyone is on board and in a good spot for this to be successful.
The first thing I want to know is has your pediatrician approved sleep training?
If they have not yet, I’ll send you there first to get the okay before we begin working together. This is because I am not a medical provider and I cannot help with sleep related issues brought on by any form of medical condition that your child may be experiencing. I also want to make sure they are healthy enough and gaining enough wait that they are ready for sleep training. If your child has been cleared by the pediatrician to start sleep training, then I also want to make sure that you have described any medical conditions your child may have to me so I can be aware of the full situation before providing any sleep plan to your family. Medical conditions do not disqualify your child from being ready for sleep training, but they are really important for your sleep consultant to know about when creating a customized plan for your family.
The next thing I want to make sure of is that all of the caregivers are on board with sleep training.
Everyone needs to be bought in on this for it to work because follow through and consistency is the most important factor when it comes to sleep success in little ones. Oftentimes I have one primary point person in the family, whether that be mom, dad, guardian, etc. This is totally normal and works well! However, even if one partner is taking the lead on this process, it is important that they have full buy-in and support from the other partner in order for the process to go smoothly and be successful.
Lastly, I need the parents to know the expectations of sleep training and our consulting relationship.
This includes things like the time involved, how much crying there might be, precisely how to go about implementing the plan, etc. All of these things vary from sleep plan to sleep plan due to the nature of how The Mindful Nursery works. We create completely customized plans for every one of our clients based on your unique needs goals, your parenting style, your child’s personality, and more. So if you’re a parent who is very nervous about crying, that is okay! We can work with that, everyone just needs to have clear expectations on what to expect in order for this process to work well. This requires really good communication between parents and sleep consultants, so be sure you are giving your sleep consultant everything they need to know about your child, your parenting style, and your family when you’re getting started.
Sleep training is hard. Sleep consultants can be a huge help with that process! If you’re asking if you should hire a sleep consultant, the answer is probably yes. If you’re wondering if you’re ready to do that, let’s chat and make sure that you are so that your experience will be as smooth and positive as possible!
~Becca